Trump supporter’s presence sparks violence at the Rally Against Xenophobia at BU
Hundreds attended the rally, but the actions of a small number of attendees threatened the organizers’s message of compassion
Crowds started to gather just before 3 p.m. in Marsh Plaza for the No Ban, No Wall: Rally Against Xenophobia. Hundreds of students, professors and Bostonians attended the protest Monday.
While most of those rallying were from Boston University, many others came from other schools, including MIT and Emerson.
The protest remained peaceful until the presence of a well-known student Trump supporter caused some people to react negatively.
Photo by Shijie Ye.
Just after 3 p.m., the event officially commenced. A group of marchers, led by organizers Hind Al and Yasmin Younis, chanted their way to Marsh Plaza to join the protesters.
Chants included, “No ban! No wall! Sanctuary for all,” “Hands too small, can’t build a wall,” “Say it loud, say it clear. Refuges are welcome here,” “No borders! No nations! F*ck deportations,” “They say go back, we say fight back” and “We are unstoppable. Another world is possible!”
The man on the left is an MIT student who spoke at the rally. Photo by Shijie Ye.
Younis began the rally with a moment of silence for those who were killed at the mosque in Quebec. A hush went over the crowd. Only the sounds of cameras and cars driving by could be heard. After a minute, Younis continued her speech.
“Given the rapid timeline of these xenophobic and racist executive orders, it is our duty to immediately fight back,” yelled Younis, as the protesters cheered. “Every single one of us must take a stand and raise our voices, because this is not ok!”
“This country was built on immigrants, and immigrants make America great!”
The view from the steps of Marsh Chapel. Photo by Shijie Ye.
Numerous speakers were able to share stories and experiences. One woman read two poems she wrote recently because of what has been taking place.
When one speaker brought up Palestine, afterwards inspiring a chant that including the country, one Jewish man took offense to the comments and chants made and spoke out against them.
“Anything against Israel is anti-semitic,” said the man in a flustered state.
Photo by Gabrielle Turi.
Numerous cars hocked their horns as they drove by Marsh. One helicopter circled the area throughout the rally.
Some protesters brought their dogs, one of which was quite vocal. The dog’s owner joked that his yellow lab wanted to be part of the protest.
The sign reads: Make America tolerant again, and stay inclusive, compassionate, practical and concerned with the welfare of other people and the planet. Photo by Shijie Ye.
As other speakers stood on the steps of Marsh Chapel, protesters gazed up at them, nodding their heads, some speaking out in agreement.
“Is President Brown here?” called out Monica Rey, a member of BU’s Hispanic Student Association. “Do you think he’s heard us if he isn’t here? Ask your professors — were they here?”
“There is no dress rehearsal for democracy,” yelled Rey.
Signs from the recent Women’s March are reused. Photo by Shijie Ye.
Rey listed the demands of the protesters, the first and foremost being that BU officially becomes a sanctuary campus. Rey followed up this statement by telling the crowd to sign the online petition to make BU a sanctuary campus. So far, the petition has more than 2,000 signatures.
Photo by Gabrielle Turi.
Nicholas Fuentes, an outspoken Trump supporter here at BU, attended the rally. He stayed off to the side, sporting his signature red “Make America Great Again” cap, and a pair of sunglasses. At the start, he only spoke to those who came over and to talk to him one-on-one.
“I came just to see what it’s all about,” said the CAS freshman, as he finished typing a tweet about the rally.
“They should’ve rallied against Donald Trump on November 8, or at the primaries, or long before this,” he continued. “They are also talking about how everything will change in 2018, but there are only 23 senate seats up for grabs, and only eight are currently held by Republicans.”
“It’s going to be an ugly correction that Trump is going to make.”
Later, the call for compassion and peace was forgotten by a select few. While others went to march with the rest of the group, over a dozen people stayed behind and got in an argument with Fuentes. At some point during this, Fuentes pulled out his Trump flag and shook it as people came up to him. One man in particular went up to Fuentes and yelled and screamed, while standing not quite six inches away. A girl quickly stepped between Fuentes and the man, and told the man to walk away, to remain peaceful.
As the marchers came back and walked across Commonwealth Avenue, they were pointed right in the direction of Fuentes and the group surrounding him. Some protesters gave dirty looks as they went by, others yelled names at him, and some went right up and joined the circle of people around him.
The first time the police were concerned was when a man who was holding a heated discussion with Fuentes grabbed Fuentes’ hat right off his head. Fuentes in retaliation grabbed the other man’s hat.
The man who grabbed Fuentes’ hat regretted it afterwards. He realized his actions were rash and he did not want to disrupt what had been a relatively peaceful protest up until that point.
But the most aggressive protesters had yet to face Fuentes. Two girls went up to Fuentes, and almost immediately one used the side of her arm to slap off his sunglasses and hat. The one then grabbed his flag and pulled him in and started thrashing about in an effort to take his flag. A couple protesters pulled her off of him, and one returned his hat to his head and passed him his sunglasses.
The girl who hit off Fuentes’ hat and sunglasses, grabs him by the arm. Photo by Gabrielle Turi.
“Don’t engage with the campus Nazi,” said one protester.
The two girls were not finished yet. They yelled and chanted, standing just less than a foot from Fuentes. Eventually, they left, but not before calling Fuentes a “bigot, racist f*ck.”
The girls joining in on the chants said by the rest of the crowd, their backs to the other protesters. Photo by Gabrielle Turi.
When the rally finished and most of the crowd had dispersed, the girls who initially attacked Fuentes knocked off his hat and sunglasses again, this time stomping his hat numerous times into the ground.
The girls who physically attack Fuentes not only once, but twice. Photo by Gabrielle Turi.
As he went to grab his hat, she pulled and yanked his flag out of his hands. He reached for the flag, but ended up snatching only a corner of it. He shoved her away in an effort to make her to let go of it. She then ran off towards the Esplanade, flag in hand, while Fuentes chased her. A number of police ran after the two. The girl quickly dumped Fuentes’ flag into a trash can and ran off before the police could catch up.
While some protesters chuckled about the incident, others were concerned that it would only fuel the fire of the people they oppose.
“They shouldn’t have fought hate with hate,” said one protester.
Featured image by Gabrielle Turi.